This is the second segment in a series of articles to be published by the Palestine Monitor focused on the plight of Palestinian refugees throughout occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank. Our correspondent, Ruairi Henchy, will be visiting a handful of camps in order to give voice to their grievances and to highlight the distinctly unique character

Israel’s representative was “conspicuously missing” at the beginning of the UN Human Rights Council’s special session Monday set to discuss the situation in the Palestinian territories and the 2014 Gaza conflict, AFP reported.

Headed by the chairman of the socialist Hadash party (Hebrew acronym for The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), Ayman Odeh, the Joint List managed to win 13 seats, making it the third largest party in the Knesset.

“At 8.30am settlers arrived with the police to take over the house. When we didn‘t open the door, they threatened to break it,“ Rafat told the Palestine Monitor, a few hours after he and his family – with the support of human rights activists and journalists – managed to turn away the immediate danger of being forced to leave their house.

From Aida to Shuafat, Part 2

Israel ‘boycotts’ first UN rights council session on Gaza war

Settlers occupy part of Palestinian home in Silwan

Joint List wins 13 seats in Israeli elections

Another family fights against losing their home to Israeli settlers in the Old City of Jerusalem

The results of the Israeli parliamentary elections, held on Tuesday, confirm the racial character of the state of Israel and its society, which continues to give the majority of its votes to extreme right-wing parties, Palestinian National Initiative Chief Mustafa Barghouti said Wednesday morning as the final tallies hit the news.

Israel and Jordan signed an agreement two weeks ago declaring joint administration on a project connecting the Red Sea and the Dead Sea via a canal. The project, financed by the World Bank, is likely to deepen the already substantial dependence Palestinians have on Israel for access to water resources.

Leading figures from the municipalities of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour paid a visit to the pope last month, to update the Vatican on the current status of their fight against Israel‘s plan to annex a large swath of Palestinian land in the Bethlehem area by building a further section of the separation wall.